Enrollment
282
Hawaii · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Kaunakakai, HI
Kaunakakai Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Kaunakakai Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 30/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 150003000062
👥 S:T ratio 46
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 44
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Kaunakakai Elementary School earns 30/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Hawaii median.
- 30
- Resource Index · Lower
- 13.4:1
- students per teacher
- 62.3%
- free-lunch eligible
- 282
- students enrolled
Kaunakakai Elementary School has class sizes near the Hawaii median. Computed live against every Hawaii school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Hawaii Department of Education · Hawaii
NCES ID 150003000062 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
21.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.4:1
vs 14.1:1 Hawaii avg
-5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
62.3%
vs 40.0% Hawaii avg
+56% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Kaunakakai Elementary School compares with Hawaii and U.S. medians
What stands out at Kaunakakai Elementary School
Kaunakakai Elementary School is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Kaunakakai, Hawaii, enrolling 282 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 13.4:1 puts it in the smaller third of Hawaii schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 62.3% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 282 puts it in the smaller third of Hawaii schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 295 scored Hawaii schools.
Against 35 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #24.
Its student body is led by Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander (66%) and Two or More (17%) (diversity index 53/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 282 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 63.1% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Among Kaunakakai's public schools, it stands alongside Kilohana Elementary School (80 students): Kaunakakai Elementary School is larger than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (13.4:1 vs 8.9:1).
Hawaii Department of Education also operates James Campbell High School (2,890 students) and Waipahu High School (2,538 students) alongside Kaunakakai Elementary School.
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Kaunakakai Elementary School compares
Kaunakakai Elementary School on the metrics families compare, against Hawaii and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Hawaii | Hawaii avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 13.4:1 | ▼ 5% | 14.1:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 62.3% | ▲ 56% | 40.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 282 | top 79% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.4:1
Leaner classes than 63% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
282
Bigger than 30% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
62.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 56% above the Hawaii average of 40.0%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
13.4:1
students per teacher
- 5% below state mean
Top 38% in Hawaii - lower ratio than 62% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
63.1%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$17,420
per pupil, district-wide
- above Hawaii avg of $17,420
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 282 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.7 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
Student demographics
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 65.6%
Two or More 17.0%
Hispanic or Latino 11.7%
Asian 3.2%
White 2.5%
Largest group: Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander at 65.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 52.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 52.5, Kaunakakai Elementary School is less mixed than the Hawaii school average of 69.6.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Hawaii Department of Education, which includes Kaunakakai Elementary School.
$17,420
Per student
+0%
vs Hawaii
Avg $17,420
+5%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 0.8%
State 84.7%
Federal 14.5%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
How Kaunakakai Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| James Campbell High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Waipahu High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Mililani High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Governor Wallace Rider Farrington High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Moanalua High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Kaunakakai Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,890
- Students per teacher
- 15.7:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 2,538
- Students per teacher
- 15.4:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
- Enrollment
- 2,382
- Students per teacher
- 15.8:1
- Resource Index
- 56/100
- Enrollment
- 2,094
- Students per teacher
- 15:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 1,966
- Students per teacher
- 16.2:1
- Resource Index
- 54/100
Similar other schools in Kaunakakai
1 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Hawaii, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~282 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Kaunakakai Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Kaunakakai Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Hawaii Department of Education's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
Frequently asked questions about Kaunakakai Elementary School
How many students attend Kaunakakai Elementary School?
Kaunakakai Elementary School has 282 students enrolled. It is a public school in Kaunakakai, HI.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Kaunakakai Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Kaunakakai Elementary School is 13.4:1, which is 5% lower than the Hawaii average of 14.1:1 and 15% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Kaunakakai Elementary School?
62.3% of students at Kaunakakai Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Hawaii average of 40.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Kaunakakai Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Kaunakakai Elementary School is Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander at 65.6% of enrollment, in Kaunakakai, HI. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 52.5/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Kaunakakai Elementary School?
Kaunakakai Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 30/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
Is Kaunakakai Elementary School a good school?
Kaunakakai Elementary School earns 30/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Hawaii median. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in Hawaii Department of Education?
Besides Kaunakakai Elementary School, Hawaii Department of Education also operates James Campbell High School (2,890 students), Waipahu High School (2,538 students), and Mililani High School (2,382 students). See the Hawaii Department of Education district page for the complete list.
Related tools
Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.